I don’t usually write an article without an interview, but this week’s guests are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend and I thought it would be fitting to honor them this way. I’ll give you some hints. First off, they love the Mounties. Both of their children graduated from there and their son has coached basketball and tennis with their teams. Secondly, I have known him the 50 years of their marriage but knew this gal probably since I was born. Our parents were good friends and I literally grew up with her and her sister. She spent 27 years as a teacher’s aide at New Market School. He retired after 32 years at MidStates and seven at Yes Conveyors. Presently, he works for the town of New Market.

What a talented young lady I met at the library where we spent a couple of hours together. Dance was her forte, having started at age five with dance lessons and acrobatics. She went through the sixth grade with lessons under Mrs. Cooper at the Masonic Temple and followed Bobby Hess awhile. Then there was none. Frustrated, she and Jane Sparks discussed creating a business to teach dance and the spark ignited. They held their lessons at St. Bernard’s and recitals at the 4-H building. Every Saturday and weeknights she and Jane led dance. She giggled, “Well, we weren’t no Dance By Deborah.” Certainly, it wasn’t like today as they had record players and rented outfits, but they did choreograph their own shows and I was just wowed by the memories she had made. Yet, she said, “But, I love the memories I’m making now!” And, Kathie Conrad Watkins is racking them up, big-time!

Pizza Hut time again! Interviewed the cutest couple and laughed a lot. I’ve known her for two decades or more, having worked with her mom at the old Crawfordsville public library, but I’ve not talked too much to my man before, so I really enjoyed getting to know him better as I’ve always admired him and his work. Both grew-up in Terre Haute, he in the Otter Creek area where he attended school through his junior year then with consolidation, joined her at Garfield HS where they graduated together. They met at the West Drug Store, near GHS in the spring before their senior year. His brother-in-law was her boss and introduced them. She said that she was basically a soda fountain jerk as it was certainly the local hang-out and she fixed a lot of sodas. Certainly, they are a wonderful couple many of you already know, and if you’ve not guessed yet, meet Jerry and Cindy Smith.

Back in the days, one of this week’s guests and I were twirlers together and the other one my children’s PE teacher. She was a Waveland Hornet (turned Flyer); he born and raised in Canner country. It was at a sports banquet, in fact, that he first laid eyes on her (she a Junior, he a Senior) when she was a server. Friends, Bill and Peggy Ray, then got the two together. One more hint as to this week’s featured couple – they are mad about golf. They’re pretty well-known and loved in the community so many of you will have already guessed that I met and interviewed Dave and Janie (Bullerdick) Williamson this week and bet ya’ know where, Pizza Hut (and thanks muches, Dave, for supper). Both Janie and Dave are Southmont graduates and still madly in love.

Coming from a basement flood to lunch with me, I talked this week’s guest into letting me interview her because I love this little lady immensely. Convertible-top down, she was ready to cruise. In a few minutes, we were at one of my fav eating places (ha, not Pizza Hut this time) Up the Creek down by Turkey Run. We hadn’t seen each other for quite some time and we greatly enjoyed our visit, albeit it was too short. I met this gal when Jim, Jay and I moved in next door to her parents, Bob and Nancy Ford on Center Drive in Crawfordsville. She became a buddy right away and in the not too distant future, we were thrown together in various organizations as her daughter was in our daughter’s class and her son was a grade younger but in several clubs and sports with our son. We’ve remained friends for what now, 40 some years and I’d like you to meet Lynnetta (Lynne) Michael.

My first question was, “Are either of you from this area?” Thinking the answer was no, I was right but sure am glad they picked our community to settle in and raise two fine sons. Now, I’ve known this week’s couple for 30 years or more, worked with her and admired him. My buddy and I worked under Mary Bishop, Crawfordsville Library’s director for several years. Now, our fella’ was born in Ilion, New York in the Mohawk Valley and graduated high school there. She was born in Indianapolis and graduated in Boonville, Indiana. This couple met at Indiana State University. There really weren’t any New York colleges with excellent music programs, and Gary had received letters from a few NY people having gone to ISU. They sang its praises, so he figured if he didn’t like it, he’d stay a year and go back home. Loved it, actually, and so did his future wife, Phyllis and if you’ve not figured out by now who this week’s subjects are, meet Gary and Phyllis Hiller, two great folks.

Our young man (born 1921) is a C’ville transplant, but has been here for more than three decades! He grew-up in Clintonville, where he graduated from high school. Four brothers, one sister, his mother and banker-father helped make-up his life in the small Wisconsin town. After high school, my fella’ headed to the University of Wisconsin where he received his Chemical Engineering degree. I met this week’s guest, Bill Stieg, a few years ago at a genealogy meeting and have thought he was pretty great ever since!

Now, I’ve only met this week’s guest twice, but he’s becoming a buddy already. Why, I even gave him homemade cookies, a general indication that I like a person. This young man grew-up in the small town of Mays, Indiana then graduated from Rushville High School, where he had a little involvement with lots of things but Spanish Club, NHS and Choir (Madrigals) were his continuals. A paper route, McDonald’s and Hardee’s were all high-school jobs. Now, I’m not sure this has ever happened in an interview, but it sure was nifty when he mentioned having worked at Kroger in Rushville. Don Cabbage was sitting at the table behind us in Pizza Hut. Don popped-up and told us that his father began that Kroger, the first one in Indiana.

This week’s guest was born in 1927 in New Britain, Connecticut in the home of his maternal grandfather, John Keyko. Raised in Ithaca, New York, he went with his parents to Puerto Rico where he met his future wife. He was 13, she 12, and he said, “I was enchanted by her.” He still is and told Jim and I several times that he was so blessed, and had been for 62 years. She agreed, but noted, “Well, there are moments!” His father was head of the US Experimental Station as a PhD in Agronomy in Puerto Rico, in charge of corn and beans. Her father was the Dean of Education at the University of Puerto Rico and in August of 1942, there was no food due to the Germans sinking all the U-boats on the Caribbean. Our feature fella’ took a plane to Plainville, Connecticut to live with his grandparents and her family went to Illinois to live with her aunt who was a much-sought-after doctor during the war. So, just who are our folks today? Many of you will know them, Alex and Ann Lebedeff.

For the last seven years while following our grandkids in athletics, I’ve watched this young man and I think he may be the biggest workaholic I’ve ever known. He grew up in Crawfordsville and is a 1992 CHS graduate where he played tennis, basketball and was in America’s PRIDE and NHS. He received his BA in Elementary Education and Middle School Social Studies from DePauw. Spending four years teaching Social Studies at Tuttle, he was Athletic Director there as well. He received his masters in Athletic Administration from Grace College and you know by now, likely, that my subject is the one and only great Bryce Barton, and he’s amazing at his job.